


I know I'm not perfect (but I can smile)

by chailover



Series: You can light up the dark [4]
Category: Naruto
Genre: ANBU - Freeform, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crows, Fluff, Gen, Hair, Hugs, No Uchiha Massacre, Oblivious, Sharing a Bed, Sleepovers, forehead poke
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-08
Updated: 2020-07-13
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:25:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 2,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23070115
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chailover/pseuds/chailover
Summary: Slices of life drabbles in the same universe as You can light up the dark.
Relationships: Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Haruno Sakura, Dai-nana-han | Team 7 & Uchiha Sasuke, Hatake Kakashi & Namikaze Minato, Mitarashi Anko & Uchiha Itachi, Mitarashi Anko & Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Fugaku & Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Mikoto & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke, Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Sasuke & Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Itachi & Uchiha Shisui, Uchiha Mikoto & Uchiha Shisui
Series: You can light up the dark [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1040802
Comments: 6
Kudos: 90





	1. (Itachi and Sasuke) Engawa

**Author's Note:**

> Things I had written for 'You can light up the dark' that were too short to stand alone but doesn't fit anywhere else as of yet...As usual, no particular order (i.e. not in order), and filled with fluff. I'll try to at least label the chapter titles with the suspects involved, but if you've read anything by me, you can probably already tell I don't have that wide of a character range.
> 
> Title from I'm No Angel by Dido.

**

Sasuke tottered out to the engawa and crawled into Itachi’s lap, asking to play. After Itachi declined with a faint smile, he pouted but then settled. It was their unspoken agreement - if Itachi won’t indulge his baby brother with actual entertainment, then he must provide cuddles.

It was no hardship, though occasionally Itachi wondered how this would work in the future - at some point Sasuke was not going to fit on his lap anymore. But for now, the top of Sasuke’s head was the perfect height for a chin-rest, and they looked out to the garden together in peace.

**  
End


	2. (Itachi & Sasuke & Shisui)

**

“Niiiiii-saaaaannnnn…” Sasuke whined as he came in, setting down his book bag and curling up against Itachi’s legs. Itachi barely moved his head from where he was using Shisui’s thigh as a pillow, nose still buried in a scroll, only just enough to give Sasuke a raised eyebrow. “School was booooring.”

“Read ahead,” Itachi advised him.

“I diiiid.” Sasuke wiggled into a comfortable position next to Itachi, wrapping himself around his brother like a koala. “I’m done.”

“Which subject was it?” Shisui asked absently as he rolled up his n-th coil of ninja wire, making a complicated knot to tie it off. “I might have some of my old textbooks still lying around.”

“History.” Sasuke grumbled. “I finished volume one.”

“What was volume one?” Shisui asked.

“...Did it go back as far as the Warring period, or just the founding of Konoha?” Itachi mused.

“I don’t want to read anymore,” Sasuke decided, sitting back up and poking his brother. “Train with me!”

**  
End


	3. (Kakashi & Minato) Team 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kakashi's most difficult challenge, to date...

**

Hatake Kakashi was many things - widely acknowledged genius, Friend-Killer and the Copy Ninja, elite member of ANBU...and now, apparently a Jounin-sensei.

He stared at the horrifying contents of the folder: Uzumaki Naruto - the Hokage’s son and the Nine-Tails jinchuuriki, Uchiha Sasuke - the third prodigy of this generation of fire breathing Sharingan users, and Haruno Sakura - a kunoichi from a civilian family with the most thorough knowledge of anything ninja and chakra control that would make grown medics weep.

If he messed this up, then Minato-sensei would give him his most Disappointed Look, the Uchiha Brats would figure out how to murder him while their Clan Head cheered them on, and Kushina-nee-san would find him in the Pure Lands and kick his ass.

“I can’t mess this up,” he said faintly.

“Nope.” The Hokage replied cheerfully.

**  
End


	4. (Team 7) Sleeping arrangements

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team 7, trying to get used to each other, and maybe running into some culture (?) shock.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...Have some pointless waff. Stay safe and healthy, everyone.

**

“We have space,” Sasuke said.

Sakura was feeling her eyebrows go up and up. Her teammate just offered up his brother’s room like it was nothing. “Because your brother and your cousin share a bed.”

“Sure, sometimes.” Sasuke shrugged. “If you guys _really_ want your own rooms, I can go too.”

“...too?”

“I can bunk with them,” Sasuke explained with an annoyed expression, as if she was asking a stupid question.

“Like...sleeping on an extra mattress? Or on the sofa?”

He looked genuinely confused at that. “Why? There’s a perfectly good futon to share.”

“The three of you...?”

“Sure. It’s nice when it gets cold, and it’s not too crowded since Shisui got a bigger futon. We do it all the time.”

Naruto came in just as Sakura threw up her hands and made a steam-kettle noise. Sasuke looked at him beseechingly, as if asking _are all girls this weird?_

**  
End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...No, Sasuke. Girls are not weird. The _Uchiha_ are the weird ones. (Poor Sakura, she hasn't even really gotten into the whole Namikaze-Hatake-Uzumaki (with bonus Jiraiya) mess yet...)
> 
> They're probably doing a pre-mission sleepover, or some sort of special training that require them to be all starting from the same place. Kakashi will be slightly less of a slacker because of Minato/Mikoto/scary older brothers/cousins and the spirit of Kushina. Which is not to say he will not be a slacker...


	5. (Itachi & Shisui) Hairties

**

Shisui muttered, “Ah-ha!” under his breath and Itachi felt the faintest of tugs. A second later, the tail of his newly placed braid was waved at him. “How’s that? Much better, right?”

Itachi frowned. That was _not_ a plain black hair band. “Did you steal hair ties from Izumi again? Are you trying to get me in trouble with her?”

“She has, like, a bajillion hair ties, she’s not going to miss this one.” A pause, then both of them contemplated the rainbow beads with sparkles. “...this one might be Namiko’s, actually. She’s been on a rainbow kick lately.”

“Are you trying to get me in trouble with Namiko instead? She’s going to complain to Aunt Naori, and then she’s going to drag in my mother.” Itachi gave his cousin a deeply unimpressed look. “Do you want my mother mad at you?”

“It’s a _hairtie_ ,” Shisui replied back, equally unimpressed. He flicked Itachi in the cheek with the tail of the braid. “Lighten up, Mr. Gloom, everyone will still love you whether they find contraband accessories on you or not.”

**  
End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I think the real question is, why does Shisui have other people's hair ties? XD
> 
> As usual, stay safe and healthy, everyone.


	6. (Itachi & Shisui) ANBU

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're not in ANBU unless your teammates threaten to kill you about twice a day, on average.

**

“When I get my hands on you, I am going to _skin you alive_ , kiddo!” Tiger bellowed, Fox half a step behind him as they leapt at full speed through the dense forests outside of Konoha proper. Itachi was keeping pace a little bit further back, and he knew just because they couldn’t see the Captain didn’t mean he wasn’t already five steps ahead of them in both physical location and planning.

Up ahead with a comfortable lead, Shisui laughed as he waved jauntily. Itachi remembered some members of ANBU mocking him - what kind of deadly, secret assassin spies _laughed_ while being chased?

The wind felt cooler as they continued to run and jump, and the trees and leaves took on a slight haze. The sound of the forest faded, and a mist started to move in.

The kind of deadly secret assassin spy that laughed while being chased is the kind that _stopped_ laughing once the concealment jutsus he picked up from Kiri take full effect, and leave his pursuers to realize that they can’t track him by sight or sound anymore.

Itachi sighed as Tiger sputtered when the fog thickened, and then thickened again until they could barely see. “Hiding in the mist jutsu? That little _shit_!” 

**End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...one thing I always thought was a little weird was that Shisui supposedly was famous in Mist...but Water release wasn't listed as one of his elements? Please ignore that little blip against canon (and everything else I've purposefully or accidentally ignored about canon)...
> 
> Tiger is actually very fond of Shisui. Unfortunately, stay in ANBU long enough and death threats become terms of endearment.
> 
> Hope everyone is staying home & staying healthy!


	7. (Shisui & Anko & Itachi) Fangirls

**

“She’s totally hot for you, lucky bastard.”

“Hhm?” Shisui chewed his dango and gave Anko a confused look. “Who?”

“Yuriko! Didn’t she give you a homemade bento the other day? Girl’s trying to kiss up!”

“Ennh? I thought she was just trying to be nice. It was a very good bento, though,” Shisui took a sip of his tea and mused, “I guess it was kind of weird that she tried to invite me out for dinner almost immediately afterward. I mean, why would she want to go out for food when she can cook that well?”

Anko shook her head and waved her half-eaten stick at him. “I don’t know whether to feel sorry for you or for her. You didn’t notice the flirting? The food and favors? Not just Yuriko, but Kana and Maki and Juun?”

Her clueless friend continued to look clueless. “I thought it was some sort of culinary class they were taking and they had leftovers.”

“Oh, my god.”

“Sorry?” Shisui said, not sure exactly why he was apologizing and whether it really was something he needed to be sorry for.

“You have fangirls and you don’t even realize it.”

Shisui blinked, then laughed. “Oh, no, you’ve got it all wrong. _Itachi_ has fangirls, Sasuke has fangirls. I don’t have fangirls.”

Anko stared at him. Then she turned her head and yelled, “Itachi!”

Shisui looked over to where she was looking and there stood his cousin, heading over with his own order of dango in his hands. “Yes, Anko-san?” he asked politely.

“Does Shisui have fangirls?”

“Of course,” Itachi answered calmly. “He seems constitutionally incapable of realizing it though.”

**  
End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...One thing that always amuses me during Shisui's limited screen time in the anime (mainly that Itachi filler near the end of Shippuden), is him always going: "Itachi, you're the best!" while I'm kind of eye-brow twitching going, "but it looks like you're better?". Maybe that's what contributed to my mental image of him being kind of oblivious?
> 
> Stay safe and healthy, everyone!


	8. (Mikoto & Shisui & Itachi & Sasuke) Affection

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually probably three drabbles...technically too long to be a drabble but too short to go as a chapter somewhere else. Oops.

**

Aunt Mikoto was a hugger. 

The first time she did it to him, he froze up like a pre-genin in front of an enemy shinobi. Shisui thought he had been duly warned, because he had seen her hug Itachi and Sasuke all the time, but having her wrap arms around him and squeeze - well, that was another thing entirely.

(He was not about to admit he froze because he was torn between wanting to run away or flipping out a kunai and burying it in the soft spot under her ribs.)

She released him after two heartbeats and there was a twinkle of understanding in her eyes. But that didn’t stop her from following up with a noisy kiss on the cheek. Shisui could feel his face and ears heat up until he was sure they were as red as his sharingan. “Glad you’re back from the mission, sweetie.” 

**

Mikoto could hear the amusement in the other boy’s voice when Shisui said, “Why _do_ you do that, anyway?”

Sasuke was shrieking as he ran down the hall toward her, with glee - because his brother was going to train with him, and with consternation - because his brother just poked him in the forehead. Again.

Itachi shrugged, smiling at Sasuke. “His reaction’s funny, isn’t it?”

(Itachi might not remember this, and Sasuke was _definitely_ too young, but Mikoto could keep the memory for both of them. 

It was late summer, months before that fateful night. They had spent the entire evening at a festival with the Namikaze-Uzumakis, and Fugaku and Mikoto were carrying one exhausted son each. Mikoto was going to walk Kushina back while Fugaku had paperwork to pick up with Minato at the Hokage tower. They were going to meet at home.

“Say goodbye to your brother, honey,” She said to Itachi. 

‘Goodbye’ before had always been accompanied with a kiss to the forehead, but this time even the genius five year old was stymied by the physics of it. How was he supposed to get himself over there to Sasuke when he was over here and they were both suspended above the ground by adults on top of that?

Mikoto watched in amusement as Itachi frowned, then came up with a solution.

Her little boy pressed two fingers to his mouth, then reached over and tapped them on the baby’s forehead, earning a quiet coo. “Goodbye, Sasuke,” he informed the baby solemnly.)

**

Itachi wasn’t sure why, given that Shisui kept his own hair short and simple, but the other boy seemed to like flicking the end of his ponytail. Sometimes as a way to get his attention, or to express his current mood (anything from amusement to mortification), and occasionally, just to annoy him.

(At least he did it subtly, out of sight of others if they were not alone. Itachi’s age was enough ammunition for most people to use as teasing without adding his hair to it. Itachi didn’t really care that much, but it was troublesome to deal with.

“Are you sure you’re not a Nara?” Shisui said when Itachi told him this, and flicked his bangs instead.)

**  
End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I continue to spam with my headcanons - Shisui has the biggest Mom-crush on Mikoto. The Forehead Poke is an invention of necessity! and don't dangle things in front of Shisui if you don't want him to bat at it.
> 
> Stay safe and healthy, everyone.


	9. (Shisui) Crows

**

Shisui knew Itachi thinks he spoiled his crows by bribing them with food all the time. This was mostly true but like most things shinobi-related, not the entire story.

His summons were very stereotypical at the beginning - he called, exchanged chakra and the occasional bit of food for their services, and dismissed them. All completely within the realm of predictability. As time went on, the summoner and summoned became more fond of each other. Shisui started remembering which crow had what food as their favorite, and in turn, occasionally he found little presents that they left him. Some he liked - shiny bits of colored stones, interesting shells, pieces of glass worn smooth. Others he could do without - if he never had to see another dead animal carcass, many-legged bug or worms, that would be absolutely lovely.

Then they decided he was part of their flock. If he didn’t assign a task or provide a distraction with food quickly enough, some of the crows he called would decide he was too embarrassing to be seen with as is, and tried preening his disastrously disarrayed ‘feathers’. 

Shisui wasn’t sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry - laugh, because the crows were smarter than that! But apparently, even knowing humans and birds are different and hair does not equate to feathers, instinct was a hard thing to fight. Cry, because ouch, it hurt when the black beaks tried to straighten what refused to be straightened. More than once, after one of his curls had bounced back after vigorous tugging and combing, he had gotten a deeply offended, beady-eyed look from the crow in question and a hoarse caw of affront right in his ear.

So, yes, he got in the habit of carrying lots of snacks so that their beaks would be too busy to mess with his hair. 

Itachi had no such issue. The crows, once they got used to him, loved to perch on his shoulder and gently tug or nudge a few errant strands back into place, and if Shisui was there, lean back and eye him as if saying, “See? This one’s feathers are well behaved!” And because Itachi’s hair was practically perfect to start with, the preening never lasted long enough for Itachi to make more than a passing note of it, if he even noticed. 

Sometimes life was just not fair.

**  
End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...I should be cleaning up stuff I already wrote for posting, but instead I just want to write short little nothings that I think are amusing. Ahhh, well, it served its purpose! (mainly, I'm not motivated to clean right now @_@)
> 
> Now, to clean out my fridge so I can finally use those keep-fresh drawer liners that I got months and months ago...! Stay safe and healthy, everyone.


	10. (Mikoto) Sleeping habits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My attempt to have something new posted by my birthday was completely derailed by the DGM catch-up. Oh, well. Have some more waff.

**

Sometimes Mikoto would open her eyes blearily in the dark of night, feeling cold. Sometimes it was a nightmare, or an out of place (but ultimately harmless) sound. Sometimes it was from unconsciously reaching out to the other half of the bed and not finding Fugaku like she expected.

Tonight, it was probably just the cicadas singing extra loudly. Mikoto stared at the ceiling for a few seconds, listening to the insects and looking at the play of moonlight and shadows before sitting up. It wouldn’t take long to walk the perimeter of the house just in case, and if she could lay eyes on her boys, she would undoubtedly rest better. 

So she pulled on a thicker robe over her sleep clothes and slid her door open, moving silently through the halls. Sasuke’s room was empty when she peered in, the moon filtering in from the window to show the floor neatened and free from toys. Shisui’s room was likewise deserted, though his tanto was on the stand that was her gift for his birthday a few years ago, and there was a dirty plate next to a partially open scroll, both evidence he was home rather than out on a mission. 

It was in Itachi’s room that she found all the other inhabitants of the house. Itachi and Shisui had set their futons right next to each other to form one big surface. The comforters were stripped from Sasuke and Shisui’s rooms and Itachi was curled up around Shisui’s pillow, which in turn was on Shisui’s chest. Shisui himself was spread out like a starfish, and in addition to being Itachi’s pillow, he was serving as a footrest for Sasuke. Her youngest was snuggled up against Itachi’s stomach, taking up more room on the two-futon bed than one would expect from such a small body.

Having done this walk before, Mikoto knew that if Shisui was alone, he’d curl up with a hand under his pillow, for ease of kunai access - thankfully in all the times she had looked in on him, he hadn’t actually thrown anything at her from being startled from sleep. If Itachi was alone, he slept in the most boring manner possible - on his back, head properly on the pillow and blankets neat. This was in contrast to Sasuke, who could and had slept in all sorts of positions when Mikoto checked in on her youngest - half-on, half-off the bed, wrapped up in the blankets like a roll or having kicked everything off the futon, the right way up and occasionally, upside down. If there was a stuffed animal on the bed, it was even odds whether it’d end up on the other side of the room or be smothered in Sasuke’s arms. 

She smiled down at the tangle of boys helplessly. Careful to move slowly, Mikoto tugged up the edge of the blanket that Sasuke was in danger of losing, so that it covered him from the chest down, and nudged Shisui’s left foot back onto the futon. That made Shisui mumble something, but Mikoto murmured, “it’s just me,” and he seemed to subside back to sleep. Itachi had a corner of his own blanket, the rest of which was on the floor, so she pulled it back in position and tucked it around him. Her eldest got cold easily, though usually Shisui ran hot so that helped.

And, since there was no one to see or protest, she dropped a kiss on each of their foreheads, before heading off to check the rest of the house, then to her own rest.

**  
End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life has been busy and lately, really hot. Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy.


End file.
